Equity and economic development in post-Sandy reconstruction: A Q + A with Cornell W. Brooks

Cornell William Brooks, president and CEO of the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice.N.J. Institute for Social Justice

Billions of dollars are heading our way to rebuild the Jersey Shore and other Hurricane Sandy-damaged areas, repair infrastructure and plan for the next storm. It’s a boon for contractors and construction workers. How will that money be spent? Will it go to a handful of insiders? The Star-Ledger reported recently on AshBritt, a politically connected, Florida-based debris-removal firm that received a $100 million no-bid contract days after Hurricane Sandy struck, and another contract this month after a weekslong bidding process.

The New Jersey Institute for Social Justice has long been engaged in workplace-equity advocacy and has a number of programs to train hard-to-employ men and women of color for construction and environmental remediation careers.

Star-Ledger editorial writer Linda Ocasio spoke with Cornell William Brooks, president and CEO of the Newark-based institute, about the opportunities for economic development and equity in post-­Sandy reconstruction.

Q. Are you concerned that post-­Sandy reconstruction will not reflect diversity in contracts or workers employed?

A. I read The Star-Ledger’s article about AshBritt, Inc., with distress, concern, even alarm, that this early on, we may have accountability issues, even while equity issues haven’t been sufficiently raised or addressed. I don’t think people in government are inattentive to these concerns, but social justice questions are not necessarily in the forefront of our minds during and after a traumatic natural disaster.

Q. How can this be effectively addressed?

A. We believe fairness and growth go together. It’s important to have this conversation with business, unions, builders and contractors. It doesn’t always have to be a dire defeatist conversation about slicing an ever-shrinking pie.

Historically speaking, the labor movement’s record with inclusion in respect to race and gender is mixed. The Essex County Building Trades has worked with us to expand the pie and make sure the pie is more equitably sliced. And we have worked with the state Department of Labor and Workforce Development. The state has invested millions in repairing or replacing dilapidated schools in our poorer school districts. It was a growth and equity opportunity, and we give credit to our building trades partner for seeing that.
With respect to Sandy recovery, there are opportunities in the recovery and rebuilding phase for ensuring that the huge workforce challenge is met in a way the maximizes equity and leverages opportunity.

Q. How are you making your case?

A. We’re a grass-roots think tank, but we’re also crunching the economic data. It’s not enough to rebuild these communities and remediate environmental hazards. You need to have an economic development rebuilding effort. The value is in the paychecks that people in the community receive.

Our chief economist, John Tepper Marlin, who provided damage estimates for both World Trade Center attacks, examined how the storm affected New Jersey relative to New York. The economic impact on New Jersey was 5.8 percent of the state gross domestic product; in New York, it was 2.8 percent. The effect was more pronounced in New Jersey, where we have people who make less money but own their homes and are more likely to be affected by inadequate insurance.

The damage here was more widely dispersed. This says recovery may be harder, more difficult and longer-lasting in this state; and we may have to respond differently and ask social justice questions earlier.

Q. Is the institute able to identify people who can be immediately employed?

A. We have construction boots on the ground, so to speak, with over 450 people entering construction trades who came through the Essex County Construction Careers program over the years. We also have a training program with the federal Environmental Protection Agency.

Over 90 percent of these workers we train are working on lead abatement, hazardous waste cleanup, water treatment and sanitation issues. We have trained multiple classes of up to 30 people each, who are now prepared for the types of tasks necessary for Sandy cleanup. As fast as we can train them, they’re out the door and on the job.

Q. So you’re looking long-term development, too?

A. How do we leverage dollars to put people to work and revitalize communities, being mindful of working class and poor people? If you’re unemployed in Newark or the Jersey Shore, it’s somewhat the same. Women are terribly underrepresented in labor unions, and opportunities should be created for them to help rebuild their communities.

These social justice questions for the workforce are not limited to cities or citizens of color; they have be posed in cities and suburbs alike by all New Jersey citizens affected by Sandy — which means everyone to some degree. Our challenge has been to speak about what can be done now to leverage all of the rebuilding resources to benefit those directly affected by Sandy first, and there­after, increase opportunities across the state.

The urgency of rebuilding takes precedence. But it’s incumbent on leaders to ask those questions and come up with solutions. These are real-world concerns. Why can’t we have a diverse group that’s part of the effort? It’s reasonable to ask if we’re using all the tools we have to make these communities better. This is about looking for opportunities to make state and federal dollars go as far as possible, and as effectively as possible.